Fate and Destiny!

Time and again we complain about our luck and so many of us crib and cry about accepting what life throws at us.

We complain and crib and complain some more .

Smallest of things are enough to spoil our mood and take us in a loop of depression.

Today I would like to share one such story of ill-fate and how it was accepted with so much positivity. The story is a familiar one but the thought process it portrays is what I would like to draw attention towards.

Remember the Story of Lord Ram’s Vanvaas.

King Dashrath had consulted his ministers and decided to announce Ram as the new King the following day, he wished to retire and acceed the throne to Ram his eldest son and the most eligible one at that.

Having learnt this Ram was content however it was fate that had other plans.

As we all know King Dashrath bound by his oath to Queen kaikayi sent Ram away for 14 years.

Imagine Ram’s plight and mindset in that situation.

What does one do in such a circumstance , the public wanted him as their King , the ministers had approved, Dashrath had approved but alas destiny had other plans.

When we look at Ramayana today after learning the complete story it seems like a logical step to go away since we know its pivotal and crucial for the death of Raavan however in that moment and in that instance Ram did not know this, Sita did not know , the entire public of Ayodhya did not know. No one knew it.

Think about this, in a few hours he was to be crowned as the king and now was asked to leave for the forest with a ascetic’s life for 14 long years.

When Laxman came to know about this he suggested a solution he said let us take our father King Dashrath captive. As a prisoner you wont have ro follow his orders anymore and after the coronation we can release him. 

Thus his Oath to Mata Kaikayi can be bypassed on account of him being powerless.

But this is Ram we are talking about he had to set an example for the generations to come, not for nothing he is called Maryada Purushottam.

He said to Laxman “I have not done anything that might remotely hurt Maa Kaikayi ever and yet she has wished for something that has brought me to this juncture in my life. There seems to be greater forces at play. 

Fate has something in store for me which I will not be able to comprehend if I do not follow this path, its only logical that I follow this path which is to determine my destiny and so I will accept the Vanvaas”

In this one decision Ram taught us about fate and its power, we all know what happens next and how Ramayana played out further. 

How many of us accept our undesired outcomes with such openness and such gratitude.

Let us understand he did not do things because he was God , he became God because of his actions.

Jai Shree Ram 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

P.S.: its Ram and not Rama , translation from Sanskrit to English has fated this mistake 😝

Bhageerath Prayas

Once upon a time , long long ago there lived a great king (😝 pun Intended).

His name was King “Sagar” or famously known as “सगर राजा”.

After conquering the great lands of bharat he decided to perform the famous Ashwamedha Yagna , and as per practice of the yagna he left a Horse to roam about in the lands , as fate would have it overcome by jealousy this horse was kidnapped by Lord Indra himself and hid in Kapil hrishi’s ashram.

Angered by this Sagar Raja sent his sons all 60,000 of them to search for the horse and in their search of it they reached Kapil Hrishi’s Ashram. 

Disturbed and troubled by the sons of Sagar Raja the sage in a fit of rage burned them all just by looking at them.

After learning about this the King was heartbroken.

Being in a drought affected area a sad Sagar Raja prayed to Lord Brahma for water so as to perform the Jaldana for his 60,000 sons and So Ganga took birth , but Ganga was very headstrong and in her prime wanted to destroy anything that came in her path, In a fit a rage lord Shiva held her up and tied her down in his locks.

Now Sagar Raja again with a heavy heart prayed again to Lord Shiva but he soon died,

His only other son who was left Asmanjeya continued his fathers Penance but he too withered away,

Then his Son Anshuman followed suit and even he too passed away,

The next heir to the throne King Dilip continued the task but alas he too couldn’t please Lord Shiva and soon left for the heavenly abode with time,

Then came Bhageerath the 5th Generation after Sagar Raja and as one knows Ganga is also named Bhageerathi , its after this King Bhageerath she is named so because Bhageerath by his prayers was able to please lord Shiva and shiva let a single stream of Ganga from his locks and thus King Sagars dream of Jaldana for his 60,000 sons was realised by his great great great grandson Bhageerath. 

A herculean effort one would say or as Ami Ganatra Says a “Bhageerath Prayas”

It took 5 generations for an effort started by Sagar Raja to fructify eventually. 

Imagine the patience put in. The amount of discipline, dedication and determination required to be passed on from generation to generation.

We witnessed something similar in our generation but much like many things that happen around us we failed to relate to it and unless one draws parallels it’s really difficult to comprehend the magnanimity of the event.

Ram Mandir was opened on 22nd Jan 2024 it was after almost 496 years that Ram Mandir was rebuilt.

If one takes into account a lifespan of 100 years which in times of Sagar Raja was very common , it would be fair to say that it took almost 5 generations to rebuild the temple. It took a herculean effort no doubt or to simply say a “Bhageerath Prayas”

Great things happened in the land of Ram and now that Ram Mandir is Back let us witness the greatness and Magnanimity of our Land once again.

P.S.: JAI SHREE RAM 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻